Distributed Path Selection Strategies for Integrated Access and Backhaul at mmWaves

Abstract

The communication at mmWave frequencies is a promising enabler for ultra high data rates in the next generation of mobile cellular networks (5G). The harsh propagation environment at such high frequencies, however, demands a dense base station deployment, which may be infeasible because of the unavailability of fiber drops to provide wired backhauling. To address this issue, 3GPP has recently proposed a Study Item on Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), i.e., on the possibility of providing the wireless backhaul together with the radio access to the mobile terminals. The design of IAB base stations and networks introduces new research challenges, especially when considering the demanding conditions at mmWave frequencies. In this paper we study different path selection techniques, using a distributed approach, and investigate their performance in terms of hop count and bottleneck Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR) using a channel model based on real measurements. We show that there exist solutions that decrease the number of hops without affecting the bottleneck SNR and provide guidelines on the design of IAB path selection policies.

7 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables. Please cite it as M. Polese, M. Giordani, A. Roy, D. Castor and M. Zorzi, "Distributed Path Selection Strategies for Integrated Access and Backhaul at mmWaves," 2018 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2018

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• Millimeter Wave Cellular Wireless Networks: Potentials and Challenges
• 5G Wireless Backhaul Networks: Challenges and Research Advance
• Towards 1 Gbps/UE in Cellular Systems: Understanding Ultra-Dense Small Cell Deployments
• Initial Access Frameworks for 3GPP NR at mmWave Frequencies

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• Integrated Access and Backhaul in 5G mmWave Networks: Potentials and Challenges
• Intelligent Backhaul Link Selection for Traffic Offloading in B5G Networks
• Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Spectrum Allocation in Integrated Access and Backhaul Networks
• Joint Association and Resource Allocation for Multi-Hop Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) Network
• Resource Management for 5G NR Integrated Access and Backhaul: a Semi-centralized Approach